Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
“Please stop!!” I tug at someone’s arm, not even sure if it’s Jasper’s or Felix’s, and I don’t realize I’m crying until Rudy untangles himself from the brawl and puts his body between me and the others like a shield.
Chapter 30
“What’s the matter, Holly? Are you hurt?”
Tears are pouring down my cheeks now, warm at first, then stinging cold as the air hits them. I shake my head to let him know I’m okay, but I can’t stop crying. As I wipe at my eyes with my gloved hand, Jasper’s at my side, too, then Nick and Felix.
“Are you okay?” Jasper demands.
“I’m not hurt, but I can’t stand to see you fighting,” I say. “I don’t want you hurting each other!”
Their faces sober, concern for me edging out the anger they feel toward each other. All of them manage to lay a comforting hand on me, on my shoulders and my back. Felix takes my hand, his expression full of remorse.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to choose,” I tell them. “Tomorrow is Christmas, and we should be full of love and happiness, but I’ve left you all hanging, because I can’t make a decision!” One of the men rubs my back as a fresh batch of tears fall.
“I’ve tried so hard to choose, but it’s not possible. I should just give all of you up, so you can move on with your lives—”
“No!” Rudy’s and Jasper’s vehement responses come at the same time.
“No, Holly.” Felix rubs his other hand over the back of mine. “That’s not the answer.”
“I’m sorry we were fighting,” Nick says. “Please don’t cry.”
“What can we do to make this better?” Rudy asks.
“You’re all so wonderful. I can’t bear to see you angry with each other. I wish you could get along, even if it’s just for the holiday.”
“You’re right.” Jasper hangs his head. “We shouldn’t have been fighting. We got carried away.”
“I wish you could all get along, and I wish we could all spend the holiday together.” I’m just pouring out what’s in my heart. I don’t expect this dream to be met with anything but skepticism or outright refusal, but Nick takes my other hand.
“If that’s what you want, we’ll do it,” he says.
Felix and Jasper exchange a quick glance. “We can do that,” Felix says.
Blinking, I look around at all of them. “You’d do that?”
“We’ll do whatever you want,” Rudy says.
Jasper briefly narrows his eyes at Rudy, but looks earnest when he focuses on me. “We’ll give it a try. I’d rather share you, than not be with you at all.” His brother nods at this, and so does Nick.
“Maybe we can all have dinner here together?” I ask, full of hope.
“That sounds good,” Rudy says. I’m not sure he means it, but I can tell he’s going to do his best.
I wrap my arms around him and give him a hug, then Nick, then Felix, and Jasper. With my eyes no longer filled with tears, I can see them more clearly.
“You’re cut,” I say to Jasper when I notice the smudge of blood on his cheek. He shrugs it off.
I inspect the other men, and find a wound on Nick’s hand. “Come inside, so I can bandage this.”
All four of them follow me into the house, where Jasper and Nick wait patiently as I clean and cover their wounds, which aren’t that deep. I’m encouraged when neither of them scowls as I’m attending to the other.
“Do you need anything from the grocery store?” Rudy asks when we rejoin him and Felix in the living room. “I’m sure you weren’t expecting to feed a crowd.”
I stop in my tracks and stare at him, wide eyed. “Wow, I just invited you all to stay for dinner, and I don’t have any food planned. Brilliant.”
“It makes sense that you’re flustered,” Felix says. “We were out there behaving like boys instead of men.”
I give him an appreciative smile as I mentally inventory my pantry. Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup are not exactly festive favorites. “I have vegetables, and rolls in my freezer that I can bake. Oh, I can make dessert, too, but we’ll need a main course.”
“We’ll go pick up some things,” Jasper says. “It’s no problem.”
“No need for you to get everything. We’ll shop, too,” Rudy says.
I hold my breath, waiting for this to escalate into an argument, but after a beat, Jasper nods.
Nick checks his watch. “The store here on Four Points should be open a few more hours, and I saw a snow plow go by a couple of minutes ago, so the roads should be clear.”
After making sure I’m definitely okay, and giving me quick, chaste kisses, the men all leave at once, promising to return very soon.
In the kitchen, I quickly figure out an order of operations, and as soon as I get the rolls in the oven and assemble the ingredients for bread pudding, my mind starts to wander. What if this is a horrible mistake?